kenevel



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. .J. W. KENEVEL. EARTH AUGER N0. 554,492. Patented Feb. 11, 1896.

2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

(No Model.) I

J. W. KENEVEL.

EARTH AUGER. v No. 554,492. Patented Feb. 11,1896.

Wins 6w, fin? 07? ,NITED STATES ATENT FFICE,

J EANNOT WV. KENEVEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FARMERS NOVELTY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

EARTH-AUG ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,492, dated February 11, 1896.

Application filed November '7, 1892. Renewed July 20, 1895. Serial No. 556,630. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J EANNOT W. KENEVEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Earth-Augers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in earth-angers of the kind which are adapted for boring post-holes.

The object of my invention is to provide a post-hole auger of simple construction, requiring but little labor to operate and which may be conveniently adjusted to the desired diameter of the hole and to release the earth borlngs.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangements of parts herein after fully described and set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved auger, showing the blades and operating mechanism in a closed or working position. Fig. 2 is the same, showing the auger in an open position for the removal of the earth or dirt from between the blades. Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the hand-lever for adjusting and opening the auger-blades. Fig. 4 is an edge View of the adjustable stop-plate, showing also the movable stop-pin. Fig. 5 is an edge view of the fulcrum-strap for the handlever and a transverse section of the augerhandle. Fig. 6 is a top view of the driving plate or head attached to the bottom end of the auger body or shank and the pivoted or hinged plates with the blades bolted thereto and with portions of the connectinglink-bars pivoted to the hinge-plates, taken on the line a; 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detached side view taken from Fig. 6, showing one of the hingeplates pivoted to the driving plate or head with portions of the blades and connectingbars pivoted and bolted to the hinge-plates. Fig. 8 is a front end view of the hinge-plate with a section of the blade and a portion of the connecting-bar attached thereto. Fig. 9

is a detached top end view of the sliding sleeve or socket adapted to slide endwise upon the auger body or shank and to which the liftingrods and connecting bars or levers are attached. Fig. 10 is a detached top view of the auger-blade, showing the slot through which the securing-bolt passes.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the blades of the auger, and which are provided with the usual twist or pitch and cutting a11- gles adapted forboring into the soil or ground. Said blades have lateral shanks formed at the top, by which they are adapted to be bolted to the movable and adjustable hinge-plates 2 by means of bolts 10. Said hinge-plates have projecting side flanges at their outer ends, between which the shanks of the blades are loosely seated and have a slight horizontal adjustment therein to change the outward cutting angle of the blades, the slot through the shank of the blade being of sufficient width for that purpose.

3 is the driving plate or head which is solidly attached to the lower end of the auger shaft or shank 4, and which, as here shown, is made of gas-pipe, but which may be a solid bar and the driving-head formed integral therewith, if desired. The said driving-head is provided with rectangular openings cut through the head extending radially from the center, into which the hinge-plates 2 are fitted and are adapted to be moved vertically upon the pivot-pins 7, by which their inner ends are attached to the center or hub portion of the driving-head The outer ends of said hingeplates are pivotally attached to the lower ends of the connecting bars or levers 6 by the bolts or pins 8, and the said connecting bars or le- Versare pivotally attached at their upper ends to a sleeve 5 by the pins or bolts 9. Said sleeve is centrally perforated and adapted to slide freely upon the auger-body and to abut against the set-collar 11 upon the auger-shaft when the auger is doing work.

A spiral spring 12 is placed upon the augershaft between the top of the sliding sleeve and the set-collar 15 on the auger-body, and is adapted to more quickly close the augerblades.

13 are rods or bars, the lower ends of which are attached to opposite sides of the sliding sleeve by the screws 14, and the upper ends are attached to the hand-lever 1 6 by the screws or pins 20. Said rods connecting said parts are adapted to lift and open the auger-blades and to sustain the working pressure thereon.

A T iron or casting 21 is solidly attached to the upper end of the auger-body and is adapted to receive the auger-handle 22, said handle being preferably of wood, as better adapted for the hand to press against. Said handle is provided with a yoke-strap 17 upon one side of the auger-shaft, to which the short end of the hand-lever is fulcrumed or pivotally attached by the bolt 23, and is also provided with a slotted plate 18 upon the opposite side, adapted for a movable stop-pin 19, under which the hand-lever is held and supported when in a working position. (Shown in Fig. 1.)

The practical operation of my improved earth-auger will be clearly seen and understood from a slight inspection of the drawings, and which consists in simply springing the hand-lever out from underneath the stop-pin, and to lift or raise it up when it is desired or necessary to open the blades, and to deposit the loosened earth-borin gs upon the top of the ground, and to again spring the hand-lever down under the stop-pin to close the blades and to renew the boring operation.

It will be observed that my improved earthauger is adapted to be adjusted not only to the desired diameter for the hole, and which is mainly provided for by the slot in the shanks of the blades, but that it is also adapted to be adjusted in relation to the cutting size of the points of the blades and their greatest cutting size, and which is both a novel and desirable feature of my invention, for if the blades can only be moved squarely out in a horizontal direction to increase their diameter the points are liable to be too far apart to do the work properly and to retain the earthborings between the blades when lifted out of the hole.

My construction is such that the points of the blades are always in their best working position, this being provided for by means of the adjustable stop-pin and the movable setcollars upon the auger body or shank, by means of which the hinge-plates may be elevated or depressed and the points of the blades thrown out or in with but slight change in the size of the upper end of the blades, and which is also desirable when the holes are to be enlarged or reamed out, and which is often required to be done. It will also be seen that the construction of the driving-head is adapted to give solid and sufficient support to the blades, as the hinge-plates to which the blades are attached abut against the walls or sides of the openings through the driving head, and which are strongly braced to resist the working strain upon the blades, and which is thrown thereon.

My invention is susceptible of various modifications in its practical construction, but which do not affect the real invention. I do not therefore desire to limit or confine myself to the precise form or construction and arrangements of the parts as herein shown.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to pivot or hinge the blades of earth-angers to the body or shaft of the auger for the purpose of expanding or opening the blades to release the borings. I do not therefore claim such as my invention.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In an earth-auger the combination of the body or shank 4, the driving-head 3 rigidly attached to one end of said shank or formed integral therewith, said driving-head provided with the rectangular openings cut through said driving-head, the hinge-plates 2 adapted to be inserted in said rectangular openings and to be pivotally attached therein to said driving-head, the boring-blades 1, removably attached to said hinge-plates, the connecting-bars 6, the lower ends of which are pivotally attached to said hinge-plate and the upper ends of which are pivotally attached to the sleeve 5, said sleeve perforated to fit upon said body or shank and adapted to slide thereon, the connecting-rods 13, the lower ends of which are attached to said sleeve and the upper ends of which are attached to the lever 16, fulcrumed to said auger and adapted to lift said sleeve to open said augerblades, and the handle 22, adapted to turn or revolve said auger, substantially as specified.

2. In an earth-auger, the combination with the body or shank 4, provided with handle 22 at one end, and driving-head 3 at the other end, and also provided with sleeve 5, perforated to slide upon said body, and with setcollars 11 and 15, and spring 12, adjustable upon said body, of the hinge-plates 2, one of the ends of which is pivotally attached to the driving-head of said body, and the other ends of which are pivotally attached to said sleeve upon said body, by connecting bars or levers 6, the boring-blades 1 attached to said hinge plates, the connecting -rods 13, the lower ends of which are attached to the said sleeve, and the upper ends of which are attached to the hand-lever 16, said hand-lever supported at one end upon a fulcrum-pin 23, suspended from the handle of said body or auger, by the strap 17, and the other end adapted to be moved to open and close said blades, and for their adjustment, and to be rigidly held from moving when the anger is doing work, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In an earth-auger of the kind described, the combination comprising the body or shank 4, the driving-head 3, solidly attached to said body, or formed integral therewith, and provided with radial openings, the hinge-plates 2, adapted to be inserted into said radial openings, and to have their inner ends pivotally attached to said driving-head by pins or bolts 7, the boring-blades 1, provided with slotted shanks, and adj ustably bolted to said hinge-plates by bolts 10, the connecting bars or levers (3, one of their ends pivotally attached to said hinge-plates, by pins or bolts 8, and the other ends pivotally attached to sleeve 5, by bolts or pins 9, said sleeve perforated and adapted to slide upon said body or shank, the set-collars 11 and 15 adjustable upon said body or shank, the spring 12, adapted to press or force said sleeve to a closed or working position, the bars or rods 13, the lower ends of which are attached to said sleeve by screws 14:, and the upper ends of which are attached to the hand-lever 16 by screws or pins 20, said hand-lever supported at one end by fulcrum pin or bolt 23, and strap 17 attached to the auger-handle 22, and the other end of said hand-lever JEANNOT W. KENEVEL.

Witnesses:

CALVIN O. lVIAROH, WM. E. SCOTT, J UDD B. LIGHT. 

